There is a direct correlation between high blood pressure and sodium consumption, if you have loved ones with blood pressure problems, let them know salt is their worst enemy and potassium is their best friend.

Here are ten foods extremely rich in potassium:

Swiss chard

Spinach

Beets

Brussels sprouts

Broccoli

Cantaloupe

Tomatoes

Asparagus

Cabbage

Carrots

Proper sodium-potassium ratios should be 1:1.5.

Stop bombing yourself with salt and start eating more vegetables, in the first few days your crave for the salty taste may be crazy, but after this transformation period, you’ll begin to enjoy the real taste of natural foods.

It is understandable that the craving for saltiness can get very strong, if for any meal you eat a lot of sodium, and trust me it happens, I recommend you to eat a pure alkalizing dish of potassium-rich veggies to balance it out. But remember, the balance only gets back to optimum if you do both: reducing sodium intake and raising potassium intake, not just either one step.

3. Acid-Alkaline Ratios

Like the two ratios above, the acid-alkaline ratio is another balance that has prevalently gone off scale.

Most alkaline foods are vegetables plus some fruits and the rest are basically acidic, but there isn’t really any general rule of thumb, the pH effect of foods is sometimes quite unpredictable.

Here’s a note: the pH of foods does not equal to the pH effect of foods. The common example is that a lemon is acidic outside but it has an alkalizing effect inside the body.

I suggest you learn to read nutrition labels on everything you eat, it’s a great habit to have, you never know the reason behind the tastiness of something until you see the horrible food colourings, addictives and preservatives.

4. Fibre Content & GI

The fibre content of foods have decreased due to refinement and processing.

When the fibre content of a food decreases, it becomes denser in terms of carbohydrates, increasing its glycemic index (GI) and produces a spike in blood sugars, causing insulin levels to rise, leading to a sudden rise in blood pressure followed by a sudden drop in blood pressure after.

Fibre is a good substance because it is indigestible by the human gut, so that it helps food release sugar at a slower rate, helping the blood levels maintain steady pressure without big fluctuations.

Many people today are consuming high-calories low-fibre foods which are promoting unhealthy eating habits (because low-fibre foods are less filling so we eat more to compensate), increasing unnecessary body weight and spiking up blood sugar levels.

Carbohydrates have two types: simple and complex.

The glycemic index (GI) measures how fast and how much a food can cause a rise in blood glucose levels. The lower GI, the slower it releases energy, the better for health.

5. Micronutrients

For the same reason as above, foods are depleted of micronutrients during processing and refinement.

But also, crops today contain less nutritional content compared to a few decades ago by as much as 50% in some cases, due to the excessive use of industrialized farming methods over the years. This means to acquire our daily dose of required nutrients, we may need to eat the same food but more of it.

The problem is:

Not everyone knows this so they are partially deficient in certain micronutrients.

And those who know that and are eating enough, are not exercising enough to balance the calories back down.

Micronutrients are nutrients (in smaller amounts) that are necessary for us to acquire optimal health every day including: microminerals like iron, chromium, zinc; vitamins and organic acids.

What you can do about this modern day issue is to remember to: eat fresh, organic, not artificially processed fruits, vegetables, nuts and meats, so you may acquire the maximum nutritional content of foods without eating “extra copies”.

What You Should Do About Today’s Diets

The diets today are ridiculous, don’t be so happy eating artificial food, everything comes at a price – no sooner or later, what you are putting into your mouth will be reflected by a disease your body chooses to impose on you.

Cut down on salt, sugar, vegetable oils and substitute that with omega-3 oils (e.g. olive oil).

By the way, did you know that 61% of Americans are now either overweight or obese, and 310,000-580,000 deaths occur every year due to obesity and physical inactivity? (source)

Don’t risk your health for anything, it’s all we’re made of. Let’s sum up the issues with modern diets:

We consume approximately 15 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. The healthy ratio is 1:1.

We consume approximately 25 times more sodium than potassium. The healthy sodium-potassium ratio is 1:4.

We consume approximately 35 times more (derived from two stats above) acidic foods than alkaline foods. The healthy acid-alkaline ratio is 1:4.

We consume too much high GI, low-fibre high-carbohydrates foods; for good health, switch it around to eating more high-fibre low-carbohydrates foods.

We consume inadequate amounts of micronutrients; for good health, eat more fresh, raw, organic foods.

Your health will always be reflected upon what you eat.

If you want good health, don’t feed yourself toxic foods. It may be difficult to do so in social conventions, you either stand up for yourself, or if you really can’t do that, make sure you boost your body detoxification process later with a highly nutritious green meal.

Update: 23 Nov 2014

To all readers: due to school work (Year 12 IB), I won't be able to post new content/ respond to comments, emails immediately. But I'll certainly be able to after I finish my exams in May 2015. This includes publishing the eczema guide I promised everyone. Sorry for the inconvenience.